Ukrainian Elina Svitolina delivered one of the biggest upsets at Wimbledon this year when she defeated No.1 seed Iga Swiatek on Tuesday, 7-5, 6-7(5), 6-2.
Svitolina initially received a wild card entry to the tournament and has been moving through her opponents. She beat out Venus Williams, Elise Mertens, Sofia Kenin and Victoria Azarenka before reaching Polish tennis player Swiatek.
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Elina Svitolina of Ukraine celebrates after beating Iga Swiatek of Poland to win their women’s singles match on day nine of the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, Tuesday, July 11, 2023. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Svitolina only returned to the tennis court three months ago as her home country grappled with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. She is playing with a heavy heart thinking of her family at her home and her daughter Skai who was born in October.
«The war made me stronger and it also made me stronger mentally. Mentally, I don’t take difficult situations as a disaster, you know? There are worse things in life. I am calmer,» Svitolina said.
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Elina Svitolina of Ukraine, right, greets Iga Swiatek of Poland at the net after beating her to win their women’s singles match on day nine of the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, Tuesday, July 11, 2023. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
«Also, since I just started playing again, I have different pressures. Of course, I want to win. I have this motivation, a great motivation, to get back to the top. But I think that having a child, and the war, made me a different person. I see things a little differently.»
Swiatek was coming off a French Open victory last month before losing on Tuesday.
Svitolina, who was ranked No.3 before taking a break from the sport, will face Marketa Vondrousova in the semifinals on Thursday. She came into the tournament unseeded.
Elina Svitolina of Ukraine defeats Iga Swiatek of Poland to win their women’s singles match on day nine of the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, Tuesday, July 11, 2023. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
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She previously reached the semifinals in 2019 before losing to Simona Halep.
Associated Press contributed to this report.